Power Jewels: The Promotion of Political Power

What made Florence one of the most beautiful cities in the world? Sometimes the answer is in the smallest details. The jewelry worn by the mysterious characters in the Primavera by Botticelli or the helmet of Goliath in Donatello's David are keeping secrets that explain the rise and fall of merchant dynasties in Florence during the Renaissance.

This first series of the talk is about the iconic "Seal of Nero", an ancient carnelian cameo owned by Cosimo the Elder, the man who made immortal the name of Medici.From the Council of Florence in 1439 to the jewelry collections of the Medici, this talk will show the role of precious items, owned by important families in Florence, source of inspiration for the most important Renaissance artists.